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Take Control of Recording with GarageBand ‘11

Turn it up to 11 as you learn how to record songs with drums, keyboards, bass, strings, even horns...even if all you have is a beat-up electric guitar!

This book explains how to use GarageBand '11 to make great recordings of your music with vocals, drums, guitars, MIDI keyboards, and anything else that makes a sound. Seattle composer and musician Jeff Tolbert shares his GarageBand know-how and years of recording experience to help you get the most out of your existing gear or purchase new equipment that fits your budget and style. New in this edition is a complete discussion of all of the many GarageBand synthesizers, as well as a section on fixing mistakes easily with the new Flex Time and Groove Matching features.

The book also covers the 12 GarageBand guitar amps (including the seven new ones!) and the greatly expanded selection of stompbox effects. You'll also learn real-world recording studio techniques like using a microphone effectively, getting the best sounds from your gear, and applying effects like a pro.

More Info

Contents & Intro

What’s New

FAQ

Reader Comments

Bonus! Linked-in audio lets you listen to examples while you read about them—and, new with this edition, you can follow links to download the project files for the two example songs which demonstrate many of the techniques discussed. Remember us when you're famous!

Questions answered in the book include:

My GarageBand recordings sound lame. Can I even make a decent-sounding recording with this program?

How do Real Instrument and Software Instrument tracks differ?

What’s the best way to record a vocalist?

How do I use the multi-take recording option?

I don't have an electric guitar. Can I still use the Electric Guitar track?

Book Info

iPad & Kindle

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A Mobipocket file is not currently available for this title.

About the Author

Jeff Tolbert is a composer and musician living in Seattle. He is currently writing music for advertising and video games in the comfort of his home studio. He plays bass for several Seattle acts, as well as guitar, piano, ukulele, trombone, percussion instruments, and household objects. He wishes he had an extra $200,000 so he could buy all the gear on his wish list. Jeff's blog is Film Scoring.Info.

Read Me First

This book teaches you how to record real and software instruments, how to work creatively, and how to turn your recordings into a great-sounding piece of music in GarageBand '11 (part of Apple's iLife '11 suite), also known as GarageBand version 6. This book was written by Jeff Tolbert, edited by Geoff Duncan, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc.

Introduction

GarageBand has changed the way Mac users create music. Many of us thought we’d need to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to make decent recordings. Instead, GarageBand makes recording much more affordable. Sure, it doesn’t include some features of higher-end programs, but what it does for the money is simply amazing.

Songwriters can make great-sounding demos to play for their bands or prospective record labels. Proud parents can record their children for friends and relatives. Those of us who never fulfilled our rock-and-roll fantasies in our youth have another chance.

GarageBand’s recording process is easy and intuitive. Even if you have o experience in a recording studio, this book will get you working like a pro in no time. Whether you’re recording using a MIDI keyboard, an electric guitar, or with a vocalist using a microphone, you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to get great-sounding tracks. I show you bucketloads of tricks you can use to get the best sound possible out of your equipment. Even inexpensive keyboards, microphones, preamps, and guitars will give you wonderful results.

One thing to keep in mind: GarageBand isn’t meant to compete with top-of-the-line recording software such as Pro Tools or Logic Pro. The truly demanding user will discover GarageBand’s limitations. GarageBand can’t control audio or automation as well as its high-end brethren, its effects and instruments aren’t as sophisticated, and you can’t apply effects to groups of tracks at once, among other things. But for the typical songwriter, home recording artist, or weekend rock-and-roller, GarageBand has more than enough mojo to get your ideas out of your head and into the real world.

I assume that you’re somewhat familiar with GarageBand. If you’ve played with it a little already, you’ll probably feel right at home. If not, I suggest my other book,Take Control of Making Music with GarageBand ’11, to learn fundamental aspects of the program, as well as tips on arranging songs and using loops.

Quick Start to Recording with GarageBand

GarageBand offers a variety of ways to record music. Software Instrument tracks use sounds generated by your computer, using prerecorded samples or models of different instrument types; Real Instrument and Electric Guitar tracks require you to plug an external sound source (such as a microphone or an electric guitar) into your Mac. Electric Guitar tracksalso give you access to GarageBand ’11’s many amp models and stompboxes.

To use this Quick Start section, choose the heading that describes your situation or your interests. Then, follow its suggestions. However, I recommend reading through the entire book to get the most from your GarageBand experience.

Plan ahead:

Choose the best way to structure your recording time in Strategize Your Recording Session.

Decide whether to use a Software Instrument, a Real Instrument, or an Electric Guitar in Choose a Recording Method.

Record Software Instruments:

Do you have the equipment you need? Learn about MIDI Gear and find out what’s required for using Software Instruments.

Review Set Up Your MIDI Keyboard for information and troubleshooting on getting connected.

Check out Record Your Tracks to get your ideas into the computer.

Learn how to use GarageBand’s synthesizers in Program Your Own Synth Patches.

Tweak your parts so they’re just right in Edit the Performance.

Record Real Instruments:

Learn about microphones and electric guitars, and find the best (and cheapest) way to get a signal from your instrument into your Mac in Consider Your Equipment.

Set Up Your Input Device to get yourself connected and ready to record.

Get a killer sound out of your guitar or bass, eliminate hum, and record a great performance; read Use a Real Instrument Track and Use an Electric Guitar Track.

Learn about microphone placement and how to best use a mic to record vocals, instruments, or anything else in Record with a Microphone.

Rerecord a section:

Make a mistake? Have no fear. Check out Fix a Section to learn how to correct errors, including how to correct pitch and timing.

Understand effects:

You can make your song shine by adding cool effects. Read Understand GarageBand Effects to learn, for example, the difference between a compressor and a phaser.

Go backstage with GarageBand tips and tricks:

Learn GarageBand Tips and Tricks such as making a guitar sound like a bass, turning your tracks into loops, and more.

Check out the sample tunes:

I created two songs to highlight many of the techniques described in the book. Listen to the Sample Songs, read descriptions of how I made them, and download the GarageBand project files.

What's New in the GarageBand '11 Edition

I updated this book to cover new features in Apple’s latest upgrade to the program, GarageBand ’11, as follows:

Apple has added seven new amp models to GarageBand ’11. I discuss all 12 of GarageBand’s amps and tell you what they’re supposed to represent in Just What Are Those Amps Anyway?

GarageBand also has five new stompboxes for use on Electric Guitar tracks. I describe them all in Understand GarageBand Effects.

Flex Time and Groove Matching help you clean up sloppy performances without complicated editing. I tell you how to use them in Fix It with Flex Time and Get In the Groove.

From analog to digital, you can play with quite a few synthesizers in GarageBand. I explain how they work in Program Your Own Synth Patches.

GarageBand 1 or 2: From either of the above-listed ebooks for GarageBand '06, you can download free copies of still-earlier editions that cover GarageBand 1 and 2. Instructions are on the second page of Take Control of Making Music with GarageBand 3.

Can I read this ebook on an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Kindle?

There are lots of great ways to read our ebooks on these devices. For more details, please read our latest Device Advice.

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I read Jeff Tolbert's books Take Control of Making Music with Garageband '09 and after that Take Control of Recording with Garageband '09. Being a foreigner myself (Dutch) and a complete beginner in music making and recording, I was surprised to understand every word, description, explanation, technical detail, and humorous remark in both books. Mr. Tolbert must be a born teacher, connecting all the time with the level of thinking of the beginning student in a most positive, even enthusiastic way.